A musician caught on camera shouting aggressively at a busker has apologised for his actions.

Classical guitarist Gary Millhouse, who has busked in Bath for 17 years, said the comments which have been heard by hundreds of people via YouTube were made ‘in the heat of the moment’, and after he had asked the busker to move four times.

The two-minute long clip was uploaded to YouTube yesterday, and shows Mr Millhouse shouting at the busker to turn the sound down, before threatening him.

He says: “It’s f***ing loud, you turn it down or I’m going to shove that thing right up your arse.

“You’ve been spoiling my performance screaming down that poxy thing. Shut up and listen to me, I’ve had enough of you. Don’t busk here. You do that again, I’m going to f*** you over.”

He added: “Shut your f***ing mouth. I mean it. If you sing again I’m going to ram that thing down your throat.”

However, Mr Millhouse said the busker - described as disabled by the person who posted the video - often plays in places in Bath where busking is officially banned, and his loud singing, which is amplified, drowns out other performers.

At this particular time Mr Millhouse, who plays the Spanish guitar, was entertaining people outside of the Abbey, and became frustrated when the noise of the other busker drowned him out.

He said: “I would like to apologise for my comments, which were made in the heat of the moment.

“Myself, and other buskers, had asked the man to move more than four times, as he was in an area that buskers are not allowed to play in.

“He took no notice of us, and just carried on singing loudly, drowning out all the buskers who are on licensed pitches trying to earn a living.”

Mr Millhouse said that the buskers met every morning outside Bath Abbey to decide who will play where, and for how long.

He has invited the busker to join them, and take his turn playing in a licensed spot.

Mr Millhouse said: “We all meet and take it in turns to play in the pitches across the city.

“The busker just plays wherever he wants, even places where we are not allowed to busk.

“We are all trying to earn a living, and he is threatening that.

“He would be more than welcome to come and meet with us at 10am every morning to take his turn in one of the spaces.”

Another busker John Shepherd said this incident was completely out of character for Mr Millhouse.

He said: “Gary is one of the good guys, and has worked really hard, often unpaid, to ensure a good relationship between buskers, shopkeepers and the council.

“This is completely out of character for him.

“We have a really good relationship with the council, only playing where we are allowed, and we don’t want to jeopardise this.

“We work hard to create a nice environment with good levels of noise, and this busker plays wherever he wants, leaving other buskers unable to be heard."

Busker Jez Broun said Mr Millhouse had made a mistake, but that such behaviour was completely unlike him.

He said: “The clip is shocking, and he should not have said what he did.

“But it was just words, said in the heat of the moment, and he has apologised for what he said.

“It is completely unlike him, he is a very amiable guy who will help anyone.

“He just lost his cool in the heat of the moment, and bitterly regrets what happened.”

However Richard Perkins, who owns the Bath Guitar School, said he had been on the end of Mr Millhouse’s temper in the past.

He said: “I had an altercation with Gary in 2011, when my students were playing at the Christmas Market.

“During the Christmas Market, Abbey Churchyard is no longer a public place, and we had applied to Bath Tourism to play there.

“Gary came up to us shouting that we were not allowed to be there and were stopping him earning a living."

The video quickly went viral on Twitter, with local people voicing their outrage about the Mr Millhouse’s behaviour, but has since been taken down from YouTube.

Many said he should be banned from playing in the city, with others suggesting he should give his takings to charity.

* If you are the person being shouted at, or the person who filmed this, we'd love to hear from you. Please ring us on 01225 322301 or email news@bathchron.co.uk

65 comments

Thanks geoffone1. This is classic:
"Deliberate use of a small b: waaaaggggghhhhh waaagggghhhhhh
disrespectful comments to Bathonians: wagggggghhhhhh waaaghhhhhh
bringing up racist incidents that happened in Bath: waaaaggggghhhhhh waaaggggggghhh"
I take no offence whatever to anything you say about me. I dish it out to everyone, so I expect it back. It doesn't cause me any worries; whether I'm in bAth, Kotte, londON, Cardiff or Br1stol.

I'm almost going to defend Anil. He can be a really nice guy with some intelligent views, and a great poster. I always find it disappointing when he descends to posting the sort of bullocks as on this post, I hate so much about London, but that's personal, and I respect it. The West Country is not to Anil's taste, but sadly he can't respect it, which is why he can appear as a total knbo. Well either that or he is a sad troll!

Wow! Speaking of petulent and nasty....... are you related to Anil?? Born at the RUH? So what? If Anil displays the same temperament and attitude in person as he does on here then I for one am not surprised he gets treated badly wherever he goes!

@ludwigvan wrote Lack of respect for the city must surely include continually insulting the residents as well as the city itself?
Deliberate use of a small b: waaaaggggghhhhh waaagggghhhhhh
disrespectful comments to Bathonians: wagggggghhhhhh waaaghhhhhh
bringing up racist incidents that happened in Bath: waaaaggggghhhhhh waaaggggggghhh
You are right that I shouldn't have singled out Tomsjan alone. The advice extends to many people who post here.
PS I was born at the RUH and feel he has the right to give his views on Bath particularly the racist incidents that happened to him while he was living here.

Geoffone1....... I think you are wrong and your comment out of order (and valdalising??), telling Tomsjan to "man up". Lack of respect for the city must surely include continually insulting the residents as well as the city itself? He never has anything pleasant or constructive to say and his deliberate use of a small "b" is, in his mind, a way to show his contempt. It is not necessarily to do with trolling - he genuinely has a big chip on his shoulder and a problem with anyone who does not agree with his bigoted views, and bangs on and on about public transport and racial issues. He really does need to accept that not everyone is like he is - thank goodness!! I have addressed you but will be joining Tomsjan in no longer wasting time trying to debate with him. Mind you anil the troll does have a certain ring to it! ;)

Geoffone1....... I think you are wrong and your comment out of order (and valdalising??), telling Tomsjan to "man up". Lack of respect for the city must surely include continually insulting the residents as well as the city itself? He never has anything pleasant or constructive to say and his deliberate use of a small "b" is, in his mind, a way to show his contempt. It is not necessarily to do with trolling - he genuinely has a big chip on his shoulder and a problem with anyone who does not agree with his bigoted views, and bangs on and on about public transport and racial issues. He really does need to accept that not everyone is like he is - thank goodness!! I have addressed you but will be joining Tomsjan in no longer wasting time trying to debate with him. Mind you anil the troll does have a certain ring to it! ;)

@Tomsjan wrote His lack of respect for our city
Please man up. Lack of respect for a city is breaking its laws, valdalising it's property, trying to destroy it's prospects.
There is a different word for not using a capital letter for a city on its local website.....it's called TROLLING. Welcome to the internet.

Chappers........ anil from london is not worth arguing with as in his world we are all lowlife because we happen to live in Bath - that's Bath with a capital B! He most certainly is petty and small-minded and manages to get disability, racism and public transport into every thread.
His lack of respect for our city and its people is appalling and his arrogance beggars belief when everything is afforded the luxury of an upper case except our city. I would suggest to all fellow posters that we no longer engage with him and if we do, save the effort of using the shift key as he is not worth it. anil, as far as I am concerned you are boycotted! And if your "offspring" has inherited HALF of your attitude to others I am not surprised at the way it is treated either!

"...........Not sure if I am referring to Anil or Millhouse."
No worries if you are referring to me, chappers. I dish it out, so expect to get it back a hundredfold. Usually, I'm not disappointed :-) I'm not in the least offended by what you say. You are always direct in your condemnation of me as I am of, well, most things to do with bath. I respect you for that. It seems fair enough to me.

".....What is the bigger over reaction? Gary Millhouse's reaction to our chorally challanged victim or the reaction that YOU have had to this video?"
Definitely Gary Millhouse's. One could easily go and ask someone politely. There is no reason to behave like that. I've heard Gary Millhouse's spanish guitar playing and it sounds like several cats being castrated concurrently. Yet, it's his right to play as loudly - within noise pollution regs - or badly as he wishes.
Surely there is respect among musicians and performers? A couple of months ago, I played in a band during an open mic session at a London social club. Most of the acts were superb. Some were out of tune and loud. I don't remember any other performer, either waiting to go on or who had just finished, ever harassing any of these acts. Also, if you think an act is not as good as you, then surely it makes you look or sound better, so why swear and be aggressive?
Also, I have a disabled offspring who is just starting out as a standup comic. When I've watched their act, I know there's a certain element of what you described in the audience. My 'child' continues undeterred, as their sights are set on making the act work, not pandering to those who see the disability first.
So yes, if Simon Blundell has started a campaign, that's fair enough. In my opinion - remember, it's only my opinion - I feel Gary Millhouse shouldn't have a chance of working anywhere as a musician. There are other jobs he might be suited for - ones where he doesn't have any or little contact with people.